2w, 3d

"On the other hand, the film, by dint of its simple competence—being largely well acted, not too long, and sombrely photographed, by Seamus McGarvey—has to be better than the novel. It could hardly be worse. No new reader, however charitable, could open “Fifty Shades of Grey,” browse a few paragraphs, and reasonably conclude that the author was writing in her first language, or even her fourth."

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3w, 2d

3w, 4d

One major reason I haven't put anything out (aside from the obvious falling into ennui and game addiction) is that the script for Skyborne makes less and less sense the more I look at it. The motivations and internal logic are unraveling now. I have a bunch of words, but not a stopping point, and an expansive but far from instructive map forward.

and I realized, what if I, like, you know... asked for help?

Please consider this a request for--not editing so much as an "editor" to discuss the story with, and how it could be changed so that it can flow through its revelations and themes more naturally. I'm ready to compromise and renovate, but for that I may need some one on one with an outside point of view.

10w, 1d

10w, 4d

A mile above Oz, the Witch balanced on the wind's forward edge, as if she were a green fleck of the land itself, flung up and sent wheeling away by the turbulent air. White and purple summer thunderheads mounded around her. Below, the Yellow Brick Road looped back on itself, like a relaxed noose. Though winter storms and the crowbars of agitators had torn up the road, still it led, relentlessly, to the Emerald City. The Witch could see the companions trudging along, maneuvering around the buckled sections, skipping when the way was clear. They seemed oblivious of their fate. But it was not up to the Witch to enlighten them.

12w, 3d

Mind you, the actual scene and prose I'm doing right now is a lot of fun, and I'm glad I got back to it.

But...

As some people have noticed, I've already dug myself partially into the hole of the pegasus culture being categorically awesome and Applejack being categorically wrong about how she doesn't like it. If I could tag people here like you can on Facebook, I would tag Applejinx here, because Trixie's Magic Bit does this with polyamory. Avatar does it with Na'vi culture. Dresden Kodak does this with transhumanism. The Conversion Bureau does it with ugh forget I said that; I feel filthy comparing things I like to that POS.

A key catalyst is that Applejack will see something that she very reasonably considers a big fat indictment of certain characters and their lifestyle, but--bit of a spoiler--she will be mistaken. The only honestly unsympathetic, problematic, "bad" thing about pegasus culture according to my current planning notes is that Cloudchaser is a racist.

side note: I'm gonna have to go back and retcon in the fact that Cloudchaser and Flitter like to visit Ponyville so that they can fly with a famous athlete. They don't recognize Rarity and AJ, which doesn't fit now that we know that Chaser was on the Equestria Games team. OR MAYBE ALL GROUNDBOUNDS LOOK THE SAME TO THEM OH MY GOD THAT'S HILARIOUS.

... but anyway, it's not much of a story if the ending is just Applejack and Rarity being put in their place and learning about tolerance. Applejack's good intentions should be partially vindicated, and not just by a cop-out like a character saying "your way is good too." Even more against my current approach is that Rarity's prudishness should be vindicated as well, instead of, again, simply being waved off as "fine too."

You see the problem, right? Again, I have already started digging this hole. And with AJ's current activities... now is the time for me to make sure she's not completely in the wrong. The question is, how?

13w, 1d

19w, 3d

I would like my fans to know that RUN is one of the best fics in the fandom, and that you need to read if you haven't already. I would like all my fans to notice that it is begging for a sex scene. Finally, I would like my fans to know that I know for a fact that its author's My Documents folder contains a word doc entitled HEAT with some words in it, a doc that has existed for quite some time.

I would also like to formally apologize for the fact that although I have started writing again, the next thing I post will be a hilarious shitfic instead of whatever it is you're hoping for from me <_<

24w, 2d

25w, 4d

I guess I can understand people wanting really expensive sex toys--you want a sex toy that's yours; something personal. I guess I can also understand wanting a sex toy that looks outlandish and/or looks like your fantasy. Just in case you want to stare at your sex toy all the time. Including while it's in use. Okay, maybe I don't understand wanting one that looks outlandish.

I think my favorite part i sthat they all have names. I know a guy who named all his Dittos after different items in the Bad Dragon catalogue. Duke, Chance, Mary, Sparky, Dante.

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26w, 5d

27w, 5d

29w, 6d

I'm gonna have more time to write starting in... a couple weeks, I guess... but I dunno how much of a change that's gonna be. After work, my free time is spent just kind of dicking around in an exhausted and anti-social state. Sometimes I'm not even in the mood to fire up League. I just fuck around on Reddit.

Yeah I've been away from the whole pony/fanfiction thing for a pretty long time and... I miss it.

The next thing I write may well be a Frozen fanfic. I have a really great idea for one. Would you guys be interested in reading it?

32w, 6d

“Excuse me, did you say ’your’ production? Forgive me, I didn’t realize you were a director. What shows have you directed recently?”

“None!” said Twilight through a light giggle. “Not yet, anyway. I’ve been reading everything I can find about musical theater in order to get ready! It’s very exciting, don’t you think?”

Octavia laid both of her forehooves very calmly across her lap. “As it happens, I played in the band for a production of ‘Starlight,’ some years ago. It’s… very musically challenging.”

Challenging. Starlight Over Manehattan was more than simply challenging; it was legendary for its demanding choreography and vocals. To tackle Starlight as one’s first show was unheard of, and Octavia didn’t envy whomever Twilight Sparkle had onboard as a choreographer or musical director.

“That’s why I came to ask if you would like the job of musical director!”

Princess Twilight hadn’t stopped smiling throughout the entire visit, and her smile was starting to look a bit over-enthusiastic. “I’m not much of a musician, and I’m terrible at dancing, so I decided I needed a musical director, and you came highly recommended.”

Octavia bit her lower lip and fondled her teacup with both hooves. Ideas for how to turn down a Princess’s request flicked through her head, each one less encouraging than the last.

“Perhaps I could point you toward somepony more qualified than I? I’m sure Front Center would welcome the opportunity to work with a Princess—“

Twilight cut Octavia off with a hissing intake of breath. “Actually, Front Center… he’s… missing. He left a note. Something about pursuing his true calling.”

Had Octavia been holding her teacup at that moment, she would have dropped it. As it was, she simply stared, wide-eyed, momentarily struck dumb with shock. Eventually, she managed a soft “…What?”

“And so I stepped up because I’ve been so fascinated with musical theater lately!” Twilight said hastily. If her smile was supposed to be disarming or tension-breaking, it was doing a very poor job. “Everypony was so relieved that they just gave me the job, no questions asked! Being a Princess has its perks. I think they just needed someone to take charge and make sure the play goes smoothly for the occasion.”

“Occasion?” Octavia echoed.

Twilight nodded rapidly, and spoke just as rapidly. “The play is to celebrate the re-opening of the Royal Canterlot Opera after its renovations! It’s a beautiful building, and now that they’ve retrofitted it with modern equipment, it’s bound to be the perfect venue for a big, exciting show like this one!”

“I see,” Octavia said, a bit dazedly. “Well, I wish you good lu—“ she abruptly swayed in her seat as she physically stumbled over her sentence. “Did you say the Royal Canterlot Opera?”

“Yes! You’ve heard of it?” Twilight’s teacup glowed again as she levitated it to her lips.

“Have I heard of—“ Octavia scooted her chair a few inches back from the table and took another deep breath. “Yes, I… I’ve heard of the Royal Canterlot Opera. When do we start?”

“You mean you’ll do it? Excellent!” said Twilight. “But, well, I didn’t get a chance to discuss payment. We might not be able to pay you as much as you’re used to… what with all the last-minute changes, we’ve been discussing the possibility of a volunteer cast, and…”

A volunteer cast. Octavia sipped her own tea again. It had cooled, and was disappointingly tepid. Not that even the perfect cup of tea would soothe her in the face of the commitment that she had just undertaken.

“Whatever your budget calls for will suffice. It would be my honor to save this show. I mean, direct this show.”

I'm trying to give myself a little extra time to digest this. It's too easy to read her article and quietly nod along when of course the issues she's talking about are more nuanced than she makes them look with her point-blank assertion that being a pornstar is empowering because it's fun.

You'll find it more palatable because you'll choke on it and be upset, but it's saying very much the same things. It just looks only at the parts that the Duke Pornstar article insists on not ONLY looking at. It's two sides of the same coin, in a very obvious way.

Another way to look at it is, the Hulk article shows the poisonousness of the culture, and the Duke article shows someone who at least clams to have happily stepped outside that poison. Heck, the only good sexual experiences I've had have been with women much like that. So long as the patriarchy doesn't hunt down and punish this woman for her 'sins', I buy it completely. I could cry that I don't get to be in her personal life, but that's another story. That's the sort of person I'd like to know (in all sorts of ways! )

It makes it damned awkward for me when I have to function not only as a male, but as one who is primarily stuck in rape culture and deemed grossly unfit because I fail at doing my share of rape. All I can do is sit there rejecting that whole scene and seeing signal flares shot over the wall, from women who cry out, I'm free and can make my own choices and own myself! These choices so rarely involve a reclusive serial novelist and inventor, for obvious practical reasons, but I can't honorably decide that the world owes me a mate just as I am, so I'm stuck cheerleading from behind enemy lines, collateral damage.

Emergency rations would be nice. Air-drops. I'll have Dashie begin some in March, as that is within my power to do for my compatriots.

The only thing she's maybe wrong about is the whole "I wouldn't want to work for someone who discriminates against sex workers" thing. I mean, it's a good viewpoint to have, but jobs don't grow on trees at the moment, so neither is it very prudent. c.c But if you're having any concerns about her general argument, Tac, it mirrors a lot of what I've been reading about feminism topics in general. She's entirely on the money, and it's nice to see her calling out anti-porn feminists as well.